Tech Talk Blog

With the recent spike in air travel over the holidays, I was reminded of some of the aerospace materials that our team often treats, particularly foam. Foam is a common insulation material aboard aircraft, used to fill open crevices between the passenger compartment and the outer shell.  It serves a number of functions such as regulating temperature, reducing engine noise, and protecting the mechanical systems from moisture and temperature variations that may lead to corrosion.

Currently, micro-light fiberglass is used for aircraft insulation, but it has the tendency to absorb moisture, which can add substantial — and unwanted — weight to the craft.  A typical flight may consist of up to 1,500 lbs of water weight.

Our team is working on an alternative to fiberglass insulation . The following materials are foam products that offer good acoustic, insulative, and weight properties, but have a tendency to absorb moisture like the fiberglass. We treat these foam products to inhibit these properties:

1)      AC 530 — a polyimide material, is lightweight, fire resistant and offers thermal and noise insulation.  It is a flexible material, but holds its shape and conforms to structural inlay. But, this foam is prone to moisture absorption.

2)      Melamine foam — is also lightweight, fire resistant, and offers thermal and noise insulation. This foam is flexible and holds its shape and conforms to structural inlay. But, this foam will naturally absorb moisture particularly well.

Our hydrophobic process offers the distinct advantage of penetrating the entire surface of the material, unlike some processes that may sit only on the surface. Our process enhances the properties to form a better water-resistant property that inhibits the absorption of moisture maintaining the dry weight of the aircraft.

As always – if you are still burning with questions, Ask The Experts!